I stumble away as my eyes glance over to Kate, who had dropped her bag on the floor and is staring me in the face with a grin.

"Don't worry about me, do continue." Kate spoke with a smirk, trying her best not to laugh at our reactions.

"I was just leaving, actually." Christian coughed out his words, before then, I had never seen him so perplexed.

"Oh you were, were you? That's nice to know." I finally piped up, my eyes burning into Christian's with betrayal.

"Well I was, but then I got side-tracked, if you didn't notice." Christian too was now laying down his rules. I knew he got what he wanted, I knew he was a control freak, but until that day, he had been easy on me.

"Oh I noticed, and it may be a regular thing for you, but in my world you don't just make out with someone and then leave!" My rage wasn't as effective as I would have liked, through the fault of my nose being blocked and my voice coming out as feeble and weak.

"It isn't a regular thing, thank you very much. You should watch that mouth of yours, Anastasia. It will get you in a lot of trouble." He steps closer and murmurs the last part, mindful of Kate only a few metres away. I felt his breath on my skin, he was so close, yet we were so far away from where I wanted to be.

"Why do you keep saying that, Christian? I don't understand you when you say things like that. It confuses me. You confuse me." I look up at him, empty, not with the energy to argue any longer.

He glances up, to see Kate still in the lounge, before grabbing me by the wrist and pulling me into my bedroom once again. To my surprise, as well as his, I don't mind the fact he is possessive, it's pretty goddamn hot.

"Anastasia, we can't talk about this yet. You understand?"

"No!"

Christian exhaled sharply. "Do you think you will be in work tomorrow?"

"Yes. I am not spending another day here with nothing to do." I wipe my nose once more and he raises a questioning eyebrow towards me. "Okay, not tomorrow. Wednesday."

"We will talk on Wednesday. When I have the paperwork." He effortlessly runs a hand through his copper hair. I use my tissue to pretend I was wiping my nose, to wipe the tears that threatened rolling down my cheeks. My head nodded towards him in agreement.

"O-Okay. Wednesday." I sniffled once more and chewed gently on my lip. He smiled, oblivious, a smile that faded as he delicately pulled my lip from between my teeth.

"None of that, Miss Steele. I might have to kiss you again." There he goes again, being charming, being cute, being incredibly sexy, he is hot, then he is cold. I just can't seem to get my head around him.

"You… should probably get going. Kate will be in soon with dinner, and that won't be an argument you will want to be around for." I force a gentle smile and show him to the door again. As we shuffle through the kitchen, Kate throws a puzzled look in our direction. I brush it off as he turns to me in the doorway.

"Do you think she will forget?"

"About the kiss?"

"Yes?"

"No."

"I can do this then." His hand ran over my cheek and guided me to his lips, kissing me ever so gently before biting my lip and pulling away.

"Wednesday." He whispered and despite my lingering, he wandered dominantly down the hallway, and left me and Kate. I turn and am immediately faced with Kate and her questioning eyebrow.

"Steele, you've got a hell of a lot of explaining to do." She forced a small plate of food in my hands and ordered me down. "Sit, and spill."

The elevator doors flew open in front of me, and immediately, I am glad I took another day off. I sniffle ever so slightly and stride confidently past Andrea into my own office, I am going to need all of my energy today. I find comfort in the padding of my desk chair and fire up my computer, to see I already have an email flash before me.

From: Christian Grey
To: Anastasia Steele
Subject: Wednesday
Sent: 8:57am

It's Wednesday. I hope you are feeling much better, and looking much better. I am free at 10, if that is alright with you?

Christian Grey, CEO, Seattle Independent Publishing

I glance to the clock, 9:12am, I sigh to myself, knowing the next 48 minutes are going to drag by like a horse with no legs. I wipe my nose slightly and reply.

From: Anastasia Steele
To: Christian Grey
Subject: Wednesday
Sent: 9:13am

I am feeling better, thank you. As for the comment about me looking better, kiss my ass.
I will be over at 10.

Anastasia Steele, Editor, Seattle Independent Publishing

I close down the emails, and get on with actual work, and just as I though, the hour drags. 9:18. 9:24. 9:30. I groan loudly and decide to go and grab myself a coffee. I desert my desk and wander over to the coffee machine. My finger lingers over the buttons between latte and mocha, and eventually lands upon cappuccino. I never was any good at making up my mind. With the coffee cup warming my fingers, I start to meander back to my office, looking for something to keep me occupied. I decide to stop by Andrea's desk on my way past for a quick conversation. Time check, 9:38.

"Good morning, Andrea." I say with a smile.

"Morning, Ana. You better not still have any germs, it will take me forever to disinfect this desk." I roll my eyes at her joking.

"I am feeling better, thank you. Where is Christian?" I took a small sip of my coffee, weary of burning my lips.

"In his office, with a shit ton of paperwork." She turned to her own computer, tapping lightly at the keyboard.

"Ah. Sounds like him." I nod gently and she shoots me a puzzled look. I grin it away and ask her the time.

"9:40." I close my eyes and curse myself inside. A whole two minutes has passed. Two minutes. In a sulk with myself, I head back to my desk and get started on reviewing a new book we intend to publish, personally, I think it is truly genius work. As I get more engrossed into my work and the literature itself, I lose track of time in a trance, only being pulled out by an email blinking on my computer screen.

From: Christian Grey
To: Anastasia Steele
Subject: Tardiness
Sent: 10:16am

Miss Steele,

We have had a conversation about being late before, have we not? Hurry that pretty little ass of yours in here, and you can learn how well I react to tardiness.

Hurry, or you'll be in more trouble.

Christian Grey, CEO, Seattle Independent Publishing

"Fuck!" I shout out loud and in a blind panic, leave my coffee and rush out to his office, not stopping for anything or anyone. My knuckles bounce against his door, which instantly swings open to him standing intensely before me.

"Hi." He grabs my elbow and pulls me inside, shutting his door behind him. Before I know where I am, my body is pressed against the door, his lips invading mine. I reach up to wrap my arms around his neck, but they are rapidly pinned back to my sides. I kiss him back with an equal amount of heat and passion before he pulls away and looks down at me, breathing heavily.

"If that's what I get for being late, then don't expect me to ever arrive on time again." I joke and smile lightly. His dark intense eyes stay fixed on mine. Not a good time for a joke, Steele.

"Sit, Anastasia. If you are serious about us." He releases me and paces around the desk, to sit in his chair facing me. I watch him and sit myself down opposite him, to be presented with a contract, not one I was new to either, a non-disclosure agreement.

"Why do you want me to sign an NDA?" I fold my arms across my chest and look up at him.

"I am sure you are aware, Anastasia, I keep my private life, very private and this stops you from being able to talk about us, mainly me to anyone else."

"Even Kate?"

"Especially Katherine."

"Oh."

"Oh indeed." He slid a pen over to me and pointed to the bottom of the page. "Anastasia, this isn't the contract you should be worried about. Sign it."

"Well I'm going to read it first." My eyes skim through the contract, and my hand shakily signs at the bottom of the page. I hand it over to Christian, who places it into a neat binder. He swiftly pulls out another document, with many, many, many more pages.

"Jesus Christ, Christian, am I selling over my soul or something?" He grins and hands me a copy of the contract.

"Something like that. Now before you read it, I want you to know you don't have to say yes. You can leave and that will be the need of it. It won't affect your job, and it won't affect our friendship. However, if you do decide to leave, you won't have me. Understand?" I stare into his eyes as he speaks, and I see a whole new side of Christian, I saw sorrow and desperation, and it makes my heart sink.

"I don't really, can't I just read it and ask questions?"

"Fine. Just know, I really want this with you, Ana." I give him a puzzled look, what on earth does he mean? Surely he doesn't have a contract for a relationship? My eyes come into contact with the first sentence.

The following contract outlines the agreements arranged for the relationship of the Dominant and the Submissive.

Well fuck me, he does.

Hello friends! Thank you once again to all those who read and review, I really appreciate it. I am trying to get in the habit of updating much more often. I think it has been twice this week now? Something like that. I do have a question for my readers. I haven't quite decided yet whether or not to dedicate a whole chapter on the actual contract itself, with Ana going through it, or if I should focus more on Ana after she has read it, and is deciding what to do with herself. What do you think? Let me know in your reviews, or as always, feel free to PM me! Thanks again!

Peaches x